During the startup operation, a personal computer (PC) generally performs an operational test for memory provided in the PC (write/read test), and a series of self tests to check that the basic operations are performed properly, for example, to check whether the current system configuration coincides with the configuration specified by the device configuration utility. The above-mentioned self test is hereinafter referred to as “POST” (Power-On Self Test).
Hardware such as PCs may encounter some problem when it is turned on, since any component has a fraction defective more than 0 (zero) even if it has been designed prudentially. By way of example, it may be a typical one that an IC (Integrated Circuit) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is not initialized properly when it is turned on. Such a problem may result from environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, rather than a higher fraction defective of that component as described above.
Such a power-on problem may frequently be detected through the POST described above and if it has been detected through the POST, the system indicates on the display an error code corresponding to the detected problem and problematic conditions and then stops the startup operation. Then, the user would turn off the system and then turn it on again to restart it with some anxiety.
However, when the user restarts the system as described above, the user would continue to operate it, feeling uneasy, even if no problem may arise during such a restart operation.
In other words, such a power-on problem as described above may not arise again during the restart operation. In this case, the PC can operate with no trouble but the user will still feel uneasy because it is not clear why the initial power-on problem does not arise again during the restart operation.
In addition, when the user restarts the system as described above, the same problem may frequently arise again because the system is restarted substantially under the same conditions as those for the initial power-on operation.